JAG Conference 2024: The Face of JAG

by Linda Besink, Treasurer
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My role as JAG Treasurer entails many duties: some interesting, some tedious, but all important and integral to the functioning of JAG. The most visible and exciting is welcoming attendees at the annual JAG Conference. Assisting and answering questions is of great value to our members. It’s also rewarding to me in several ways.

The 2024 Conference In Review

by Geoffrey Belinfante, Conference Committee, Vice Chair
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Planning the JAG conference is like staging a high school musical. You and your colleagues work all year long on the musical (read “conference”), and all the events you’ve planned come and go so quickly that you barely have a chance to appreciate your hard work. That’s how I feel about this year’s JAG Conference and Awards dinner. While admittedly the day is a blur to me, I do remember some of the highlights and I have talked to lots of people who attended workshops that I could not so, by way of full disclosure, this article is based on personal observations and what I have heard from others.

JAG’s Annual Conference Taking Shape

by Geoffrey Belinfante, Conference Committee, Vice Chair



Even though our conference is still about 4 months away, your conference committee has already been busy planning another informative and entertaining event for all JAG members.  This year’s conference is scheduled for May 16th and once again it will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Edison, so mark your calendars now!  The conference will be followed that evening by a gala celebration where we will present the JAG Awards for excellence in production for 2023.

JAG’s Annual Conference

by Bob Duthaler, Conference Committee Chair

The JAG Conference Committee has begun meeting.  We have elected the officers of the committee: Bob Duthaler, Chair, Rick Gearhart, Secretary and Linda Besink, Treasurer.  The first items discussed were establishing the costs to attend, developing a schedule of events, and creating a list of potential sessions.  Panelists will include representatives from NATOA, the ACM and JAG’s Organizational Members.

The Success of JAG Conference

by Cynthia Hahn, C-NET Executive Director



Myself and two others of the C-NET staff were fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2023 JAG  Conference in Edison, New Jersey.  This was, for all practical purposes, the return to in-person conferences for JAG, after a fully remote conference in 2021 and a “hybrid” conference in 2022. Gathering together in person was as exciting and satisfying as I had hoped.

JAG 2023 Conference Recap – Engaging the Community

by Jesse Lerman, President & CEO, TelVue Corporation



It was great to see everyone at this year’s annual JAG conference in Edison, which felt like a “coming home” of sorts, refocusing the lens back on the core New Jersey station operators and members, the real heart and soul of JAG and where TelVue got its start in community media nearly 20 years ago! The new layout, with vendor exhibit booths inside the large group ballroom, afforded better opportunities to mingle with customers and showcase products during breaks, yet also remain an important presence during the larger panel presentations.  It created a very inclusive environment for vendors and customers alike, a welcome return and grateful exit from the social distancing and virtual trade show era.

NATOA Contributes to the Success of JAG Conference

by Mike Lynch, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Director, NATOA



Thank you, Jersey Access Group, for inviting me to participate in the 2023 Conference!  On behalf of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), I’ve got to tell you….I had a blast!  You’re a dynamic organization with great leadership from folks like Bob Duthaler, Stephanie Gibbons, Dave Garb, Don Smith and, of course, Rich Desimone.  To Rich: Thanks for your years of collaboration and teamwork as both NATOA and JAG moved forward in the ever-changing world of cable & broadband.

Glad to be Back

by Jesse Lerman, President/CEO, TelVue



The Eastern Video Expo 2022 brought a welcome end to a two+ year drought of local, in-person trade shows and other industry events, giving participating vendors the opportunity for face-to-face engagement with valued customers once again.  It was great to say goodbye to endless Hollywood Squares-like Zoom meetings and welcome back the kind of meaningful conversations and collaborative-based discussions that generate important feedback, crucial for product development.